America has always been more of an idea than a place.
There was certainly a country called the United States of America, but that was more of a government entity. When I was growing up, many of us were relatively naive about the imperfections of that government.
I think now that it was mostly because we were so blinded by our devotion to the core mythology of America to see the grasping and evil politicians behind the machinery of government.
We excused the reality of what our politicians often did because we were in love with the idea of America as a place of freedom and justice and decency.
When the country celebrated its 200th anniversary of independence in 1976, we were still in love with the shared idea of America. Even though it came just after the disasters of Watergate and Vietnam and oil embargoes, most people still believed in America as an idea.
In a month, the United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary, but things feel very different.
As we approach July 4, 2026, I no longer sense the shared belief in an ideal that we once took for granted. And I fear that the ideas which once burned like a holy fire now resemble dying embers that threaten to go out completely.
Is the idea of America — the good parts, the parts worth celebrating — slowly dying?
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